This mini-Romesco for two people comes out at a very affordable price, it can even be made in a 26 or 28 cm diameter pan, all the ingredients are bought in the same supermarket and it is ready in no time. There are no more excuses to taste a great Romesco on any occasion; maybe as a couple during a romantic dinner.
Ingredients for 2 people:
• 1 blister of frozen salt cod (4 pieces, 375 g in total).
• 300 g of potatoes (1 large potato).
• Half a bottle of commercial Picada catalana (small bottle of 25 g).
• 2 garlic cloves peeled.
• 1 sprig parsley, finely chopped (if you have it).
• 1 fried dried ancho pepper (see How to fry dried ancho pepper for the Romesco recipes).
• 100 ml of white wine (or brandy or even water, if you don’t have wine).
• 30 ml of extra virgin olive oil.
• 500 ml of hot mineral water, or mild broth (see recipe for fish stock).
• 30 g of fresh grated tomato.
• 2 prawns, half a dozen norway lobsters, etc. (optional).
Preparation.
Preparation of the romesco base mix:
• We separate the ingredients of the commercial Picada Catalana jar into two equal parts (almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts and a few breadsticks usually come). We will use one of the parts and reserve the rest of the Picada Catalana in your boat for another occasion.
• Add the half jar of Picada Catalana, the tomato, the garlic cloves, the parsley, the wine and mix well. The wine serves mainly to dilute the mince so that the blender can work, so the right amount of wine is added to achieve it. Given that this recipe uses striped tomatoes, it could be that the necessary amount of wine to add in this case is minimal.
• Now add the fried dried ancho pepper and reduce everything to a fine paste with the mixer.
Preparation of the dish:
• We remove the cod from the container and present the four pieces on a plate. Lightly salt and pepper.
• Peel the potato, cut it into two halves lengthwise and cut each half into slices half a centimeter thick and about 3 or 4 cm sideways.
• Pour the 30 ml of oil into the pan and, when it is hot, add the Romesco base mix and fry it while stirring for about two minutes.
• We add the potatoes on the fried mince.
• Add the 500 ml of hot mineral water (or soft fish stock), distribute the potatoes well and let everything cook over medium heat and uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time.
• Spread the pieces of cod in the pan with the skin facing up. Cover and simmer for five more minutes.
• We carefully turn the pieces of cod and, if we have them, add the prawns, norway lobsters, etc. We adjust the salt. Cover and simmer for five more minutes. If we see that it is too thick, we can add a little more water or broth, always hot and in moderation.
• Let stand for five minutes off and plate.
Variations.
Naturally this dish is flexible and can be adapted to different tastes. Here are some possible variations:
• Cod can be substituted for another type of sliced fish.
• You can put some chirlas or clams when adding the fish.
• Of course, if at home you already have five hazelnuts and five toasted almonds and a couple of breadsticks, it won’t be necessary to buy a small bottle of Picada Catalana.
• As mentioned in our tips and tricks section, it may be a good idea to lightly fry the potatoes in the same casserole right at the beginning, after adding the oil, adding the Romesco base mix later.
